Iwata reacts to fallen Nintendo stock

He reckons people that haven't picked up and played the Wii U form a "mistaken impression" of the device.

"Honestly speaking, the reaction to the presentation and what I heard from people I met and the mood of the [E3] convention did not chime at all with what happened in the stock market," Iwata told Reuters.

"It's very strange."

"In the end, it is easy to get the mistaken impression that this is just a game console with a tablet.

"People who came to the presentation and tried it out have understood very well that it opens up a lot of new possibilities," he added. "But people who have not tried it will find it hard to believe that this controller will change things."

His comments will vindicate analysts who yesterday expressed concern to Eurogamer that a wider audience won't 'get' Wii U in the same way they quickly understood Wii.

Relying on the public understanding Wii U through play - rather than focussing on delivering a crystal clear marketing message - may prove a risky gamble.